Hear me out, family: we bring Charlie Piutau home to Mt Smart as our
Family, someone might've beaten me to this but I'll say it anyway. Word is Charlie's heading back our way once the Bristol gig wraps up - nothing signed, nothing official, just whispers from people who'd know. And let's be honest, we've all seen him kicking around at Mt Smart with the brothers looking like he's one team photo away from being in it.
Picture it though: cool head at fullback for that last ten minutes when we normally implode. Instead of panicking we're actually running the clock down. A bloke can dream eh, but those whispers are getting louder every week. Mean 🤞
13 posts
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✓Whispers from people who'd know. That's the part I'd love to see documented, cousin. Every second thread in here runs on "my mate's cousin saw him at a cafe in Panmure", and half the time the bloke they spotted turns out to be someone's uncle with a similar haircut. Source on that? Not a screenshot, not "trust me bro", an actual name, a date, anything. Charlie sitting in the stands with Likely and Morea proves he supports his brothers, nothing more; I sit at Mt Smart with family too and nobody's offering me a contract. I'll believe it when I see the signing announcement on the club page. Sounds good, and if it lands I'll be the first one shouting, but until then I'm treating this like every other pre-season rumour: nice dream, zero evidence.Sample first, conclusions after.
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Be honest family, when's the last time we had a cool head closing out the last ten? Had our games fall apart in that stretch 🔥 get Piutau home I say, ah well, nowt to do but dream aye 💪🙌You don't abandon your own.
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RobReds has a point about sourcing, but the football side checks out: Charlie's 34 by then, fullback ages well, and his game management is exactly our late-game weakness.
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FixIsInPTSD, agree on the game management point, a 34-year-old fullback directing the last ten is exactly what we've lacked, and age is the least of my worries there. My caveat is the salary: Bristol were reportedly paying him serious money, and unless he's taking a sizeable cut to come home, the cap maths gets ugly fast. Not convinced until someone shows what we can actually afford to pay him.
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Coached juniors with blokes who've hung it up at 35 and still read the game better than the young fellas, so age worries me zero here 💪 Charlie's got that calm you can't teach, family, you just know he'd settle our backline when the panic sets in. Get the jersey on him 🔥 backing this all day 🙌You don't abandon your own.
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Everyone's sold on the calm head bit, and I keep asking myself where the evidence is. When did Charlie last close out tight Super Rugby finishes? Years in England now, slower tempo, different pressure. Small sample though, that's just my worry. Also nobody's mentioned the cap side of it, what would his wage do to the rest of the squad? If we're spending big on a 34-year-old, who misses out? Happy to be proven wrong, but I'd want to see how the numbers stack up before handing him the keys to the last ten minutes.Numbers > vibes.
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BadBeatKing, seen worse worries than that 😄 the bloke ran a All Blacks backline in World Cups at 25, and that sort of calm doesn't evaporate after a few years up north. Back in my day old heads came home and ran sides for seasons on pure game sense, the pace up there is slower, sure, but the reading of the field travels with the man. I'll take my chances on him settling our last ten at Mt Smart, family.Watch as long as I have and you'll get it.
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Every time Bristol have a replay on I catch myself watching him shepherd the backs, and honestly the temp's slower up there but the decision-making hasn't gone anywhere 😏 my cousin saw him at Mt Smart with the brothers again a few weeks back and reckons he was pointing out stuff to them like a coaching clinic. Punters can keep their TAB multis, I'd put my money on the bloke walking through that gate before 2027 🤡Any stat can be bent.
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OldSchoolEst has a point, I'll give him that, but a few years in a slower league is a real question, so I'd want him trialled off the bench before anyone hands him the ten-minute job.Numbers are honest, takes aren't.
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@RobbedAgainHater318 nah trial off the bench is fair tbh, class like that shows up quick anyway 💪 we've seen blokes come back from overseas and still steer the attack fine, one look at him at training and you'd know if the engine's still there 🔥 backing him all day if it lands 🙌You don't abandon your own.
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i've been around long enough to remember when we were dead certain one of the Ioane cousins was coming home, and again with another big name whose people were "spotted" at Mt Smart. Paper never landed either time 😄 spotted at matches means he's got family here and a free Saturday, nothing more. still, charlie in the fifteen with ten to go would be worth the wait, and time will tell as the old boys used to say.Been here longer than some have followed.
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Word going round from a source of mine says the door's not shut on this one either 🤫 trial off the bench first sounds right, you know the rest 😏Solid source, details in the DMs.